Mark your calendars, and plan to join us on Tuesday, March 12th for a public workshop to discuss the draft Salida Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the SteamPlant Ballroom, 220 W. Sackett Ave.

Public participation is of the utmost importance as we finalize the comprehensive plan. The Planning Commission has been working diligently for months to draft the language of the plan and they, along with staff and the City Council, need to hear if we are on the right track.

There are many hard decisions made each year by the City Council which balance the priorities for maintenance and improvements in the city against limited budget funds. The comprehensive plan should serve as a guiding document looking ahead five to ten years. The City Council utilizes the comprehensive plan in selecting what projects to pursue and approving the annual budget. This is not a regulatory document such as the land use code but a guiding document for what the community wants to be in the future.

The Salida Planning Commission has spent the last three years developing the draft comprehensive plan. There have been several public meetings and three surveys that have helped form the content of the plan, but we need you to let us know if we got things right. The entire draft plan is available for review on the City’s website: www.cityofsalida.com/projects/comprehensive-plan.

During the meeting on Tuesday, the public will be able to choose from a variety of topics to solicit input, ranging from community character, economic development, housing, transportation, recreation, tourism, land use and growth, and community services such as water and sewer services. This will be followed by discussion with you and your fellow citizens to determine if you agree with the direction of the plan regarding these topics. In addition, we would like to hear what you think are the highest priorities for the coming years.

The City is nearing the end of the update to the comprehensive plan. Following the meeting on Tuesday we will incorporate feedback from the public and draft the implementation chapter of the plan. The entire draft plan will be presented to the Planning Commission during their regular meeting on March 25th. Following Planning Commission review, the plan will be forwarded to the City Council for review and adoption.

Now is the time to voice your opinion about Salida’s future. I hope you can join us at the SteamPlant on Tuesday, March 12th.